Our June Edition

Matchbook Book Club presents:  The June Edition   Dear Members, I hope that everyone has been doing very well this month! With the coming of June means that summertime weather is here to stay. June has always had a special place in my heart for two reasons: my birthday (eeek!) and our book club's THIRD anniversary!! It seems like it was almost yesterday that we have all met for the first time on a warm afternoon in Yorkville. And since then, you have continued to make this book club a bright haven for all things bookish and full of laughter. We have shared a lot of discussions and happy memories together- not to mention trying interesting restaurants along the way! So I would like to say a warm thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all: you have made Matchbook the best book club a bookworm could ever dream of. Here's to more wonderful memories! Cheers, Joanne  From left to right: Eric, Emily, Stephanie, Joanne, Jennifer, Lauren, Shirley Photo taker: JoAnn   A big thanks to all that turned up over the long weekend! We discussed our latest read, Frog Music by Emma Donoghue. From our discussions,  it seemed that this book was a miss. While the writing was good, the characters seem to be forgettable and at times, irritable (Blanche anyone?). We all agreed that  Jenny was a character we would much rather know more of, especially with her mysterious past. However, there were interesting passages in between but overall, would we re-read Frog Music? Probably not! This month's theme was The Book You Pretended To Read- great reaction from all of you! It was very fun playing around with this theme! As per tradition, we threw in everyone's picks in a hat (thanks to Shirley for lending us her cap!) and our selection for this month is: Summary: In a city under siege, four people whose lives have been upended are ultimately reminded of what it is to be human. From his window, a musician sees twenty-two of his friends and neighbors waiting in a breadline. Then, in a flash, they are killed by a mortar attack. In an act of defiance, the man picks up his cello and decides to play at the site of the shelling for twenty-two days, honoring their memory. Elsewhere, a young man leaves home to collect drinking water for his family and, in the face of danger, must weigh the value of generosity against selfish survivalism. A third man, older, sets off in search of bread and distraction and instead runs into a long-ago friend who reminds him of the city he thought he had lost, and the man he once was. As both men are drawn into the orbit of cello music, a fourth character- a young woman, a sniper- holds the fate of the cellist in her hands. As she protects him with her life, her own army prepares to challenge the kind of person she has become. A novel of great intensity and power, and inspired by a true story, The Cellist of Sarajevo poignantly explores how war can change one's definition of humanity, the effect of music on our emotional endurance, and how a romance with the rituals of daily life can itself be a form of resistance. Oh boy, this book seems to be quite promising: I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on the book! Happy reading! Saying goodbye to: Maya Angelou "When we decide to be happy we accept the responsibility to bring happiness to someone else."